


The Wind

by Sutaoris



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kris is not abusive to tao, M/M, Minor Injuries, Self-Esteem Issues, more of a good ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24570277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sutaoris/pseuds/Sutaoris
Summary: Tao's life has always been a bit of a mess, so he learned to deal with. But then a new person, Kris, moves into the lower unit of the house Tao is living in.Roughly based on 'Must Have Been The Wind' by Alec Benjamin, from the view of the other person.
Relationships: Huang Zi Tao | Z.Tao/Wu Yi Fan | Kris
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	The Wind

**Author's Note:**

> If you are sensitive to abuse, this one may not be fore you. I personally don't think its to descriptive for a majority of it, but then again this could be considered a vent fic. Non con is implied by never explicitly written. Just be safe yall. I used a random name for Tao's boyfriend since i didn't feel comfortable with using an actually idol for this. Kris is not abusive.
> 
> And I think it's obvious, but I don't condone abuse or think it's cute.
> 
> Enjoy I guess?

A new person was going to be moving into the lower unit of the duplex, a thing that happened every few months for various reasons. The last guy had moved out in the middle of the night without warning, leaving the entire lower unit trashed. When the Landlord had offered Tao money to help clean it out, he had happily chosen to do so as an easy way to get some cash. But as they went through the house and started taking stuff out, Tao was quick to find out where all the missing packages and mail had gone that Doyun had been pissed and accused Tao of stealing. 

Tao didn’t see the person move in. Only when he peeked his head out the back window to watch one of their neighbors dogs run around in his yard and noticed a car that wasn’t Doyun’s parked on the right side of the back did he know someone moved in. They weren't allowed to park on the right side, that was for the lower unit. Twice Doyun had done it, getting his car towed. 

It didn’t matter that someone moved into the lower unit, Tao wouldn’t be interacting with them anyway. He thought nothing of it as he let the curtain fall down and he went back to cleaning.

The house was old, Built in the 1890’s and owned by whatever was just above a slumlord. The bottom level had two bedrooms while the top one only had one. Tao wished they had the lower section of the house since the kitchen was a real one and not two counters, a tiny sink, stove and a fridge that wasn’t even able to fit in the tiny space so it sat in the living room. There was no dining space, only a small living room that led straight to the bedroom. The lower unit had the same size bathroom, but it had a shower tub combination, whereas the upper unit only had a tub with a shower head hooked to it and a floor you couldn’t get water on. 

There had been many times Doyun had gotten upset about water getting on the floor, even if Tao hadn’t done it. 

Tonight was like any other, Tao was in the bedroom taking pictures of his stuffed panda plush Doyun had bought him, using an old desk lamp as a light source trying to make the picture nicer. Tao dreamed of having a nice camera to take real good photos, but that was out of the question with how little money he had. For now, he had to work with his cheap old phone with the camera quality of a potato. Even with how grainy the photos were, he still had fun trying to work with what he had.

But the smile was quick to fall from his face when he heard the door slam shut and the sounds of feet stomping up the stairs. Quickly Tao Put both the panda and his phone in a safe place, before sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting for the storm to come. 

“Fucking Asshole,” Doyun said, his voice filled with venom as he tossed his bag rather harshly on the bed. “Stupid ass manager is making me work extra tomorrow since I didn’t finish cleaning today.” He filled in without Tao even needing to ask. 

“I’m sorry.” Tao said quietly, glitching as Doyun flopped on the bed next to him.

“Where’s my dinner?” Doyun asked, to which Tao quickly went to the kitchen and returned with what he had made. His boyfriend made a face at the food. “Since you don’t do anything all day, I would expect something a bit nicer then this.”

Tao had worked hard with the little food they had, trying to make something Doyun would like, so his heart sunk the slightest bit at the words. But Doyun was right, Tao did have all day. “I’ll do better next time.” Tao answered. Doyun gave him a friendly slap on the thigh and turned his attention to the tv. 

Half way through doing the dishes Doyun came into the kitchen and slipped his plate in the sink. But he didn’t go back to the room, instead he wrapped his arms around Tao from behind and started sloppy kissing his neck. There was the pungent scent of alcohol on his breath, a smell that made Tao want to gag. “I want to have some dessert.” His boyfriend said. 

Tao hated having sex when his boyfriend was drunk.

“I”m busy right now, but when I’m done-” Tao didn’t even get to finish his statement before he was pushed forward harshly, his head almost ramming into the single cupboard they had above the sink. But as a result of being pushed, a glass was knocked from the counter and ended up shattering on the floor. 

“Look at what you’ve done.” Doyun slurred slightly, Forcing Tao to look at the mess. “If you would have said yes, this wouldn’t have happened. Now I have to by a new fucking cup. Clean it up.”

Tao quickly got to work, not thinking much about it as he picked the shards up with his shaking hands and put them in a plastic grocery sack. Although Doyun had returned to the room, his boyfriend still made the point to yell at him to finish faster since he wanted a ‘good fuck’ before he had to go to sleep. 

An hour later Doyun was out cold and Tao was wrapping up what he could in the bathroom. Tonight he would sleep on the couch, not wanting to risk waking Doyun up. As Tao arranged the pillows, he heard a knock on the door that sounded almost too soft. Whenever someone knocked, they usually pounded hard enough to make the window on the staircase shake. But this knock didn’t rattle the window, and left Tao confused when whoever it wasn’t didn’t end up yelling for Doyun through the door.

Tao made his way down the stairs and to the door and flicked on the outside light. There were no windows or a peephole through the door, so he couldn’t have any way to tell who it was without opening the door. Tao unlocked the door, before slowly opening it just enough for it to poke his head out. 

It was a man Tao had never seen before, even though Tao couldn’t see him very well under their bad porch light. But he was tall, and looked around the same age as Tao. 

“I’m Kris, I’m the person who moved into the lower unit.” The man said offering his hand to shake, and Tao felt his heartbeat pick up. Tao didn’t shake it. Their new neighbors were one of those types, either he was here to complain or try to butt in. Neither of those things were really acceptable when you lived in an area like this, everyone was loud. Thank god Doyun hadn’t answered. “I was just wanting to make sure everything was okay.”

Tao shrugged his shoulders, wincing a bit at the pain it brought. “I appreciate the concern, but I haven’t heard anything.” Kris didn’t look like he believed a word coming out of Tao’s mouth, which was fair. This guy didn’t understand. So Tao thought quickly. “It must have been the wind. This house is pretty old. The windows rattling can get pretty bad.” 

Kris remained silent for a moment, staring at Tao with a neutral expression. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. 

“Well, If you ever want to talk, You know where I am.” Kris said, to which Tao gave him a goodnight and locked the door. As he walked up the steps he peered through the curtain crack to see Kris looking up at the window, a small frown on his face.

That night Tao had trouble sleeping for a whole new reason. 

\---

Things went back to normal for the next few weeks. Tao and Doyun got into small fights, a few of them over Doyun having parties and trashing the place on his days off. As much as Tao hated having strangers in their house and eating what little food they had, he was brushed off when he asked Doyun not to have them on the nights where he had work the next morning. 

He almost ran into Kris a few times while getting the mail, taking out the trash, or walking to the bus stop for work, But Tao was quick to get away. He didn’t need any more attention from him.

When both Kris and Doyun were gone and Tao was lucky enough not to have work either, Tao would sometimes go outside and take pictures of the small garden he had been working on outside. The lot only had one tree that looked to be on its last limb, and a single bush and a few flowers that fought their way through the hard soil, but it was something. Hunching down was painful after last night's events, but Tao could deal with it. Bruises would fade. 

It was easy to tell when Kris was gone since he lived alone. When his car was gone he was gone. 

Or so he thought.

Tao almost screamed when he was crouched on the ground and taking a picture of a single poppy that had started to grow when someone appeared behind him and said a simple ‘Hey.’ When Tao looked, he was shocked to see Kris standing behind him with a small package in his hands. Looking behind Kris, Tao confirmed the other’s car was gone. 

“My friend Luhan borrows it sometimes.” Kris answered as if he knew what Tao was thinking. “I’ve noticed you only come out when it’s gone.” 

Tao didn’t want to lie, so all he managed to say was a little ‘Oh’ as he awkwardly stared at the other. The other picked up on the fact tao wasn’t going to say anything, offering the box to Tao. “This is for you.”

Hesitantly Tao opened the box to find a small camera. Just a plain digital one, but it was much better then what his phone had. While Tao protested such a gift from a stranger, Kris just shrugged it off and went to his back door. Before he entered, he stopped, looking back at Tao.

“I was serious. If you ever want to talk, I’m here. If you just want to hang out, Even if it’s only for an hour or two.” Kris said, before leaving Tao outside with a knot forming in his gut.

It only took three days for Doyun to find the camera and for it to vanish. But it didn’t matter since Doyun’s car was having issues and he needed money to pay for it, so Tao forked over his paycheck for the week in order to get it fixed instead of the alternative. Taking the bus was not that much of a hindrance for Tao, but Doyun would refuse to, complaining about having to get up an hour earlier and how much it would ruin everything, despite the fact Tao had been having to get up early for the bus since forever.

Cashiering wasn’t the most glorious job, but It brought in money. Doyun always managed to waste most of his money before the rent, internet and phone bills came in, so Tao typically gave most of his money to his boyfriend. Typically it didn’t bother him, it was both their responsibility and Doyun did do more work then Tao so he had the right to blow his money more. 

Tao had also been carefully hiding a bit of his paychecks in a small box he kept hidden in the house since Doyun had access to his card and would often use it. If something happened or there was an emergency, they would have the money to bail them out of the situation. It was one of the few things that gave Tao comfort.

Doyun and Tao had been sitting on the couch eating an early dinner together while watching some crime show Doyun liked before he had to go into his night shift. Tao didn’t pay much attention, not being into shows that felt a little too close to home. But he had been pulled back to reality by Doyun speaking. “I kinda understand why he did it.” Doyun commented, referring to the man who killed his ex girlfriend. “I love you so much, If you ever left me, I’d kill myself.” Tao grimaced at the words, feeling himself tense up at Doyun planted a kiss on his lips and got up as if he hadn’t said anything messed up. 

The house felt much more suffocating, even after Doyun left for work and Doyun pestered Tao for ‘ a few bucks to get lunch.’ Tao wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t. His mind wandered to Kris downstairs and his offer, maybe he could talk to him. There wasn’t really anyone else he knew, and it wasn’t like he had to talk about what Doyun had said. Just any normal conversation would help settle his mind. 

He made his way down stairs and to the Backdoor to the lower unit, making sure that he could see light through one of the windows and confirming Kris was awake. He went up to the door, his hand freezing before he knocked. Doyun would be upset he left the house without telling him, even if it was only to go downstairs. 

But Tao couldn’t be alone right now. 

Tao forced himself to act, knocking firmly against the door. He waited anxiously for Kris to come, and almost ran for it but the backlight flicked on and the door opened to reveal Kris. He didn’t even ask, simply opened the door and let Tao in. 

“Would you like anything to drink?” Kris asked. Tao shook his head, awkwardly sitting in one of the chairs at the dining table Kris had in the kitchen. Despite being in the space a dozen times or so, it felt so different now that someone new was living in it. Nothing Kris did was off putting, but Tao couldn’t help but feel on edge.

Instead of asking Tao why he had come, Kris started playing some music at a low volume from a speaker set up on the counter. Much to Tao’s surprise it was in Mandarin, some hip hop sounding song. It eased his nerves slightly hearing something in his mother language that he really hadn’t gotten the chance to use anymore. 

Tao looked around the kitchen as Kris got himself a cup of coffee, spotting what looked to be a canvas leaning against the pantry door. “What’s that?” He asked, staring at it. It was turned around so Tao couldn’t see what was on it. Kris looked over to see what Tao was referring to, then proceeded to walk over and flip it over so Tao could see. 

The canvas was relatively blank, except a few light marks on it that didn't make any particular shape in Tao’s eyes.

“I keep wanting to paint, But I haven’t been able to do it lately.” Kris said, setting the canvas back how it was and sitting down in the only other chair at the table. 

Tao didn’t stay long, only an hour or two. If Kris was tired or needed to go to bed, he didn’t say anything or give any indication. They simply sat and listened to the playlist Kris had made. There was a variety, But Tao did like most of what was on it. There was even a point where Tao found himself drifting off to a rather pleasant melody with words of encouragement and support, But the moment his eyes fluttered close a wave of anxiety hit him and his eyes shot open. 

“I need to go back.” Tao mumbled, standing up and rubbing his eyes. 

As Tao walked to the side of the house to his own door, Kris followed him.

“You are always welcome to come over whenever you need to Tao. Even if I’m not here.” Kris said, tossing something to Tao. A key with a sticky note with Kris’s number on it, Tao realized as he caught it. 

“Thank you.” 

When Tao was back inside his own house, he quickly added Kris’s number in his phone and tore up the note and disposed of it in the trash. 

It was only when Tao was just falling asleep did he realize their whole exchange had been in Mandarin. 

\---

Doyun was rather chiper when he woke up, Excitedly asking Tao if he wanted to go to the mall for a date. It went great, Tao was allowed to dress up nice and they even splurged on a nice dinner at the Ramen restaurant only a few blocks away. 

When they got home there were two cars parked on Kris’s half, and there was a group of 5 people sitting in chairs around a portable fire pit. Kris stood up as they got out of the Car, Doyun wrapping his arm around Tao's waist as he led him over to ‘Greet’ the new neighbor since he didn’t know Tao had already talked to him.

As Doyun and Kris exchanged greetings, Tao tried to pay attention, but his attention was taken away when he heard the stranger’s talking.

“Look at how thin he is. Do you think he has been eating properly?” One of them said in Mandarin. Tao felt himself tense up at the words. Doyun stopped talking, looking at the guy who had spoken, who was looking at the grill. There was no way Doyun knew what had been said, he didn’t speak the language. That's why Tao never used it.

“I think it’s best we go now Tao, We still got that movie to watch.” Doyun said, turning his attention back to Tao and smiling. Tao found himself being guided to their unit, Doyun’s grip tightening the moment they were at the top of the stairs.

“What did he say out there?” Doyun asked, the irritation thick in his voice. He had assumed the guy had said something rude, which wasn’t the case. If anything, the comment was worry towards Tao. But Doyun wouldn’t like that answer. 

“He asked if the food was ready yet since he was hungry.” Tao quickly lied, his heart going crazy in his chest. He hated lying, but he was more scared of what Doyun would say if he learned the truth. They started at each other for a brief silence, Before his boyfriend seemed satisfied with the answer and let go of him.

“I don’t want to watch the movie anymore, let’s just skip to the sex.” He said flatly, dragging the mood down even more. 

“I…” Tao hesisitated, “I don’t want to have sex right now.” He said quietly, looking at the floor. A small breathy laugh left Doyun, sending a shiver down Tao’s spin. 

“I paid for everything today, the least you could do is give me a good fuck. Don’t be selfish Tao.”

\---

The First was coming up and tensions were high. Although management hadn’t said anything, things weren’t going well at work. It was obvious they weren’t making money anymore and things were getting worse by the day. Tao should have seen the signs, but he had believed his manager when she had said things were going fine and not to worry.

“Unfortunately, we are going to have to let you go Tao. We can’t afford to have you anymore, Sorry.”

Everything was fine. Maybe Tao ended up having an anxiety attack in the parking lot and cried for 10 minutes, nobody was there to see if it happened or not. But they would be fine, he had the box hidden just in case something like this had happened. 

Tao took the bus home, partially shaking the whole time. No matter how many times he told himself this was fine, he could find another job, something in the back of his mind kept clawing its way forward telling Tao not to go home and just run for it. He didn't know where, he didn’t have anywhere, but everything in him said not to go home.

As soon as Tao stepped off he ran the few blocks to his house, heading straight to the kitchen for the box hidden beneath the sink. But as he pulled out the box of extra plates and pushed aside the cleaning supplies, the worry in his mind only grew. 

It wasn’t there. 

Tao started pulling everything out from under the sink, covering the kitchen floor. He didn't bother to be quiet about it, he was in a too freaked out state to try and keep it down. Every single item, yet the small box still wasn’t there.

Tears started to fall from Tao’s eyes as he silently began to cry to himself. With shaky hands he started to put in all back, Doyun would be upset if he came home and saw the mess. But who was Tao kidding? Doyun would be pissed that Tao had lost his job and wouldn’t be able to pay the rent.

Everything was ruined.

So as Tao was done cleaning he started looking for a new job on his phone, but it was too late to call in anywhere and the screen was too small to apply online. Tomorrow he could go to the library and use a computer, that was what had worked last time. He wouldn’t be able to do much for this month's rent, but he could pay Doyun back.

As Tao waited for his boyfriends return, he started cleaning all he could since it would be one way to soften the blow. The house was fairly neat, but there was nothing wrong with giving it an extra cleaning. And it wouldn’t give Doyun a reason to say Tao was being lazy. He also ended up making dinner and cleaning up after it since he couldn’t sit down knowing how bad things could get. 

The smell of liquor hit Tao before he even heard Doyun walking up the stairs. The gross, pungent smell only made Tao even more queasy as he scrubbed down on the counter. Maybe if Tao had been in the livingroom he wouldn’t have smelt it at first, but with the kitchen being next to the stairs it was hard to miss anything.

“Oh gooood, you made dinner.” Doyun said, his speech slightly slurred. Tao placed the sponge in its spot before folding his hands in front of him. His finger wrapped around his wrist naturally for protection, last time he had spared it it had been horrible. Now there was a simple bruise, nothing too much to deal with. He needed to be more careful.

His boyfriend didn’t even try to make small talk, sitting down and digging into the food instantly. Tao slowly moved to sit across from him, not making any attempt to get food for himself with how sick was feeling. All he needed to do was spit out what had happened and the anger would be over with sooner than later. Though Tao couldn’t tell if the other being drunk made things worse or better.

Tao decided to just rip the band aid off. 

“I lost my job today.”

Silence. Doyun said nothing, just stared ahead at Tao with furrowed brows. It made Tao want to shrink away, but he couldn’t. Doyun always acted worse when Tao tried to run or hide.

“What did you do?” Doyun asked, his word’s filled with venom. Everything in Tao went cold. The other wasn’t even considering Tao had been let go, he assumedI Tao had been fired. Not even the benefit of the doubt.

It hurt.

“I didn’t-” But before Tao could finish Doyun was up and reaching for him. Terrified, Tao stumbled out of his chair and back towards the kitchen, wanting to get far away as he could from his angry lover.

“Don’t fucking lie to me. How the fuck are we supposed to pay rent if you got fucking fired!” Doyun yelled, moving Towards Tao. Tears sprang from Tao again, feeling a rush of guilt as he looked to the floor. It was all his fault, if only he had been a better worker they wouldn’t have let him go. Or he would have gotten a better job elsewhere. Then Doyun wouldn’t be mad at him.

“I’m sorry.” 

“You aren’t staying here. You can’t pay, you’re out. Now. Crying isn’t going to help you.” Tao looked up at Doyun, seeing the pure fury on his face. As much as Tao wanted to not believe those words, the look on his boyfriend’s face told him he was serious. 

“Doyun, Please.” Tao begged, his voice shaking with mention as he spoke. He hated crying like this in front of Doyun, he should be standing up for himself. But he couldn't, he could only cry and be pushed around like a child.

Doyun showed no sympathy, roughly dragging Tao and dragging him down the stairs as Tao begged for him to let him stay and apologizing over and over. But his pleas fell on deaf ears, Doyun simply shoving down when he was about halfway down the stairs. 

Being unprepared, Tao ended up not being able to keep his balance and fell down the stairs. All he was able to do was let out a small shriek before slamming into the door, his twisting in the most painful way he had ever felt. Burning, horrifying pain that made Tao sob even harder. “STOP FUCKING CRYinG AND GET THE FUCK OUT.” Doyun screamed at Tao.

Trying his best to ignore the pain, Tao pulled himself up best he could using the wall in the small passage. The moment he put any weight on his right foot his leg crumpled and made more pain, forcing him to lean all his weight on his left. Doyun offered no help, simply watched as Tao struggled to open the door and go outside. 

As soon as Tao made it out the door and shut it, he slumped to the ground, unable to keep himself upright. The sounds of footsteps thundering down the steps and the click of the door being locked came only a moment later, leaving Tao with nothing. No clothes, no money he didn’t even have his phone since it was still in his room. Within a few hours Doyun might have calmed down and let in Tao, but for now he had nothing. 

As if Doyun knew what Tao was thinking, the window from above opened and Tao’s clothes started raining from above. “You’re not fucking coming back in.” Doyun called out, tossing Tao’s plushies out as well, letting them fall on the dirt below with no regard. Unable to walk, Tao could only crawl over and scoop up a few of the items. Of course Doyun didn’t toss down Tao’s wallet or phone, he only got rid of Tao’s things that he himself didn’t want or couldn’t use. 

Once the window was slammed shut, Tao was left alone once again with adult throbbing pain in his ankle and with nothing of real use. At least he had his panda plush, and a thick jacket in case it got cold. Not able to carry much, Tao decided to slip on the jacket. As he put it on, he heard the smallest jingle from the pocket, and checking it he found a key. 

It was the key to Kris’s place. The other words rang through Tao’s mind.

But even then Tao didn’t feel confident in just going into Kris’s house without him there. Even with the key and kind words, it felt wrong. Tao wasn't even allowed in his own house, what gave him the right to go in someone else's?

There was a compromise. Very painfully and very slowly, Tao crawled to Kris’s back door, propping himself against the door. The sky was slipping from blue to purple, clouds were gathering above. From the looks of it, it would rain. Maybe if Tao was lucky Kris would get home before the rains started. If it did, Tao figured he would be okay since there was a small covering over the door. It wasn’t much, but it was better than the time Tao had been left in the rain.

Tao stared up the sky, trying to ignore the pain in his foot and dull throbbing in various parts of his body. Tears still fell from his eyes, although he had stopped making any sort of sound. His mind was filled with a mixture of emotions, anger at himself, sadness over everything, fear over his future, worry over what he will say to Kris. To didn’t have anywhere to go, and he didn’t want Doyun to get in any sort of trouble. The last thing Tao wanted was attention. 

Tao hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until he felt himself being shook. Instinctively he curled into himself, letting out a whimper of pain. But instead of the voice of Doyun asking him to wake up and come back inside, the voice was different and not directed as Tao. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, revealing Kris on the phone staring down at Tao’s foot. 

“It’s really badly swollen, I think you should check it.” Kris spoke into the phone. Upon looking at himself, Tao was horrified to find his ankle heavily swollen and bloated, an ugly bruise color covering the surface. The other noticed Tao had woken up, quickly hanging up his phone and leaning down to Tao and holding out his arms. All Tao could do is blink in confusion.

Kris ever so carefully managed to pick up Tao, avoiding his foot at all cost. The action shocked Tao, often hearing how tall he was and how it was unreasonable for him to be helped. Yet here Kris was, supporting him without a single complaint or question. The elder brought him in and to the couch, lying him down and propping up his foot on the arm rest. Tao was still half asleep as Kris set a nice pack on his foot and fluttered around the space. 

When Tao came to consciousness, His foot was wrapped up in a bandage. “Thank you.” Kris’s familiar voice said, while one Tao didn’t know answered back. The door clicked shut and Tao could clearly hear multiple locks being engaged before Kris appeared in the living room with a plate in his hand. 

Without a word Kris handed Tao the plate, before sitting in the other chair in the living space. Unlike Doyun's house that was overfilled with clutter that Doyun wouldn’t throw away, Kris’s space was fairly sparse, yet it didn’t feel empty. The few decorations looked homemade, the furniture didn’t quite match but it didn’t look clashing either. The Tv actually fit on the stand, and there appeared to be no crack on it. 

When Tao started to eat, Kris spoke up. “You can stay here as long as you need.” Kris said, Tao’s gaze instantly shot to him. No, this was too much. Doyun would let him back in after a few days. It wasn’t Kris’s job to look after him. Tao opened his mouth to protest, but the words got stuck in his throat as tears began to form in his eyes. Why couldn’t he say anything? He tried again, yet something was stopping him. All he was able to do was let the tears flow silently down his face.

“Thank you.”

\----

Although Tao had only expected to spend a day or Two at Kris’s, he ended up finding himself still there after three weeks. Three weeks of healing his foot, eating whatever he wanted, watching tv, and not having to clean.

The best part was Kris never left Tao by himself. Unlike Doyun, being around Kris’s didn’t feel suffocating. The other gave him his space, yet was always close enough that Tao could simply say his name and he would be there. When Kris couldn’t be home, one of his handful of friends was always there. It was a bit awkward at first being stuck with people he didn’t know, but unlike Doyun’s friends, Kris’s cleaned up there messed and actually seemed to like hanging out with Tao. 

But one thing Tao didn’t do was leave the house. He didn’t move the curtain’s at any point, not wanting to risk Doyun seeing him down here. Sometimes he could hear Doyun’s yelling from upstairs, or crying, begging for Tao to come back wherever he was. Every time Tao was tempted to get up and head back, but when he started to move he would always catch Kris looking at him. The look wasn’t much, just the other simply looking at him then he would just as quickly go back to whatever he was doing. 

And just like that Tao would find himself turning up the tv or radio just a little louder and ignoring what was going on.

But Tao couldn’t hide forever.

Tao didn’t know how he found out, but one day instead of Yixing at the door, he met Doyun. Kris’s was planning on going to work so the other male was going to come over and do some cooking with Tao. 

Like a deer caught in headlights, Tao stared at his boyfriend in front of him while frozen in place. Doyun looked equally surprised, before realization seemed to hit him. “Tao-” Tao slammed the door shut, turning the dead bolt before the other had the chance to start banging on the door. “Tao! I’m sorry! Please!” Doyun yelled, pounding on the door. 

Tao slumped to the floor, his entire body shaking as a small sob came from him. Within moments Kris was there leading him away from the door and to his bedroom, sitting him on the bed. “It’s okay, I won’t let him in. Focus on me Tao. It’s going to be okay, I’m going to be staying home.” Kris said, speaking over the loud banging still going on. Doyun was still yelling, though the words were muffled. Adding on to it, Kris turned on the tv loud, almost drawing out Doyun’s yelling. 

By the next day Doyun had switched Tactics. Tao was startled awake by banging on the back door, sitting up abruptly in Kris’s bed and slipping out of the others arm’s. Normally Tao would sleep in the guest room, but after last night's events he hadn’t trusted himself to sleep alone. Part of him had worried Doyun would break through the windows somehow with ow much they shook the night with the smallest amount of wind.

Tao wasn’t awake enough to move, but his anxiety spiked and his heart went haywire in his chest at the banging. He was at a loss. Kris didn’t deserve to be dragged into his drama, and Doyun wouldn’t stop until Tao would give up and come back. The banging stopped for a moment and Tao considered laying back down. But instead, he moved to the side of the bed, ready to get up and possibly go out. 

A hand wrapped around Tao’s arm, and soon Kris was sitting up behind him, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I’ll make breakfast, don’t worry about it.” Kris said, his voice low and raspy from sleep. With a small yawn he got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, leaving Tao confused and still conflicted. 

Never once had Kris brought up Tao’s situation. Whereas before Tao’s old friends bombarded Tao with questions and concern, Kris would simply be around Tao and offer support when it was needed. It never felt like he was being pushed or judged, like he had to talk about anything. It would be or the better to talk about it, Tao wanted to spill everything that he had been dealing with. But the process was scary. Doyun was well liked, respected even with how he acted outside the house. And even with everything he had done, there had been so many good moments it wasn’t easy to just let him go like that. 

It felt like maybe, Kris would listen and not tear him down. Just Maybe.

Not wanting to sit around while Kris did everything, Tao got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. His ankle was better, but he still had an awkward limp and if he used it too much it would hurt. Yixing has assured Tao the limp would go away with time and to simply not over work or stress himself. The stress part seemed unrelated to his foot, but Tao couldn't deny the fact he was stressed. 

Tao helped with breakfast then the dishes, and the two of them ended up in the living room. In the corner Kris had a small station set up for painting where he had spent a lot of time lately. It was nice seeing him do something he clearly enjoyed. While Kris did art, Tao decided he would do some stretches and basic exercises since he couldn’t exactly go outside and hadn’t been able to walk to the bus stop or work. For Tao, it was relaxing to workout, even if there was only so much he could do at the moment.

The peace was disrupted by obnoxious banging on the door again. Kris set down his brush and wiped off his hand and went to the door. Tao watched what he could from his spot, but he couldn’t see much from where he was. It was a good thing, Tao wasn’t sure how he would hold up being able to see Doyun. 

“You need to leave.” Kris said, his voice firm.

“I live here too, I can be out here all I want. You’re keeping my boyfriend in there.”

“He’s in here of his own free will.”

There was a bout of silence, the only thing Tao being able to hear was his own heart pounding in his chest. 

“As usual he is being a selfish brat. Go ahead and hide him like the little bitch-” Doyun didn’t even get the chance to finish, the sounds of the door shutting and being locked cutting him off. 

“I DID SO MUCH FOR YOU BITCH. YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!” Doyung screamed in clear frustration. “YOU’ll COME BACK.”

Kris returned to the living room, instead of going back to his paint he grabbed his laptop from the coffee table and went to the couch. Tao had been stunned by the interaction, it took a few minutes for the words to sink in. 

“Am I...?” Tao asked quietly, more to himself than to Kris. For well over two years Tao had been living with his boyfriend. Dropping him over a little fight was a bit selfish. Doyun had every right to be mad. 

“You aren’t selfish for doing things for yourself Tao. Nothing I have seen you do, or anything you could do is a reason for him to yell at you or treat you like that.” Kris commented from the couch. When he looked up, Tao saw Kris was looking at him with an expression Tao couldn’t pinpoint. It wasn’t pity, but like empathy, understanding. His eyes held something behind them, a story maybe Tao would be able to hear one day. 

The next morning Tao woke up in Kris’s bed again. And the next, and the next. The end of the month was creeping up, each day having Doyun either scream at the house at Tao or having loud obnoxious parties above trying to disturb them. Even the neighbors had called in a complaint, but it did little more than result in a small warning that only seemed to edge Doyun on more and make him act out more.

Tao would go from completely numb to hearing his yelling to other times having a break down and crying in the bathroom. He couldn’t help but feel as things were going from okay to worse. He was tired of being trapped in the house, being yelled at, living in anxiety. Again he felt bad for Kris having to deal with it all. On the evening before the first, Tao decided enough was enough and he would leave. Kris needed his peace again whether he would say anything or not. 

“We need to Talk.” Tao said the moment Kris came through the door from work. The elder looked up from his phone in surprise.

“I was thinking the same thing actually.” Kris said, gesturing to the kitchen table. The two of them sat. They said nothing, Kris clearly waiting for Tao to say what was on his mind. But it suddenly was much harder to speak his mind, now worried that Kris was actually sick of it all and going to kick him out instead. It would be a good move to offer to leave, it wouldn’t make Kris the bad guy and would make Tao feel better. But now he couldn’t.

Seeing that Tao wasn’t going to speak, Kris spoke up instead. 

“I’m moving out tonight. I want you to come with me.” 

Well that wasn't what Tao was expecting at all. 

“My friends are coming over to help pack everything up. The landlord knows, I had to wait until the last minute so Doyun wouldn’t cause problems.”

Oh.

“Luhan has a house where you will have your own space. It’s on the other side of town. Please, come with me at least until you can get back on your feet.”

An offer, an escape, all laid out before him. All he had to do was say yes.

“ Kris, I want to go.”

It only took a few hours to pack up everything and load it into Kris’s friends cars. Doyun wasn’t home, his car missing and the lights all off on the top floor. Tao stared up at the familiar place, where his life had been. A small part of his heart tugged him towards it, telling him to stay. So many good things had happened, Doyun had loved him so much. 

But as he stepped forward, his eyes were drawn to the tiny garden. The plants were all ripped out, scattered around in the little light provided by the back porch light. The ugly memories came back, the names, the pushing, the bruises, the crying, the doing things he didn’t want to do. 

Kris walked up next to Tao, looking down at the mess. “There is some space at the new house, I’m sure you can make a new garden if you want. And you can take all the pictures you want without it being ruined.”

Tao looked up at Kris, smiling at the other as he linked the arms and pulled Kris back towards the car. The elder was clearly confused by Tao's change in demeanor.

As they pulled out of the back, a familiar car pulled in. Doyun did his act again, not knowing the bottom unit no longer had anything in it. But Tao ignored the words and profanity being thrown out, instead focusing on the quiet music coming from the stereo. The sounds, the destroyed garden, in Tao’s head it wasn’t a person.

It was simply the wind, and it would soon no longer be bothering him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank's for reading whatever this was. I tried to make this realistic without it feeling like to much, pulling from things from irl. It was weirdly easy yet difficult to write this. Stay safe out there.


End file.
